01AI and software studio · Kampala · since 2021

Smart systems
and skilled people
for Africa's digital era.

We design, build and run AI-enabled systems, and train the people behind them.

Book a 20-minute callExplore HERA

02The COTE Core

One studio. Every layer.

From the systems your operation runs on to the people who keep them running.

  • Smart systems
  • AI layer
  • Data and security
  • Care
  • Skilled people
Get your AI score
The COTE Core separated into its five layers.

03HERA · Human and Employee Resource Automation

HR and payroll built for Ugandan law.

First 10 organisations get free setup and migration, and 40% off for 12 months.

  • Payslip · PAYE, NSSF, LST
  • Leave request · approved
  • Approval · routed per entity
Join the founding programme
The top layer of the Core opens into an HR dashboard with payslip, leave and approval cards around it.

04Systems in production

We run what we build.

4 live products and 8 client sites, built for 3G and WhatsApp-first users.

See the work
Six connected nodes: four live products, the INSPIRE AFRICA platform and our Care plans, with light running along the links.

05COTE Academy

Training the people who keep systems running.

AI training for teams, 9 Academy courses, and CLICK computer literacy in Kyegegwa.

  • COTE Academy
  • AI training
  • CLICK
Explore the Academy
The base layer of the Core dissolves into a field of glowing points, one for each learner.

06Talk to an engineer

One call. Twenty minutes. A straight answer.

Fixed scope, milestone payments, you own the code. Same-day replies to clients in Uganda, Kenya and the UK.

Book a 20-minute call

Or WhatsApp us (opens in a new tab), or partner with us.

Every piece reassembles into the COTE Core.

Live / Work you can open

Open them
today.

Live systems

4 products and 8 client sites in production

See the work

07What we sell

Six offers. One way in.

Start with a 3-day AI Opportunity Audit. Continue to a Sprint and the fee is credited.

All services

08In the media

Our work, in the spotlight.

Led by our founder at MCI's AI Media Lab: 22 university educators trained, now teaching about 400 students.

09How we work

Six steps. No surprises.

How we work
  1. 01Discovery call
  2. 02Fixed-scope SOW
  3. 03Milestone payments
  4. 04Build in the open
  5. 05Handover
  6. 06Care

10FAQ

Questions buyers ask first.

All questions
Who owns the code and IP?

You do. On final payment, the source code, designs and IP created for you transfer to you, with repository access, credentials and documentation. We keep only our general know-how and any open-source tools we used.

How do payments work?

Fixed price for the agreed scope, paid in milestones: 30% on signing, 40% on a working build, 20% at launch and 10% after handover. Ugandan clients are invoiced in UGX, international clients in USD, payable by bank transfer.

Will it work for users on slow connections?

That is the point. We set a performance budget for every page and test on throttled mobile connections. Assistants can answer on WhatsApp, which most of your users already have.